CONTENTS
THE DAISYPHILADELPHIA'A'Y
THANKSGIV INGOU R FAITH AND OU R COU NTRY
OUR DEAREST AND 'EST W E GIVE UNTO THEETO LONGFELLOW ’S PICTU RETo ST. CATHARINE OF ALE'ANDRIAMUSIC .
IN THE PEAcE PAST UNDERSTANDINGSIC TRANSIT GLORIA MUNDITHREE FRIENDS OF MINESYMPATHYHYMN TO ST. CATHARINERE'UIESCAT .
IN MEMORIAMA PICTUREGREETING TO REV . GERALD P. COGHLANTHE PARTING OF THE WAYSLIGHT
ODE FOR THE SILV ER J U'ILEE OF THE CATHEDRAL T . A .
SOCIETYMY DARTHEA
THE HIGHEST ART
TO ALICEALONELAST DAYS
TTHE DAJSY.
Written forthe L.'i. C.
Low in the fragrant meadow the sweet, white flowers lie,
Engulfed in the waving grasses like stars in a clouded
s'y'O purest white'0 yellow gold'h ow
'
great , how wide
thy scope,
Combining Faith with love of land,our hero
,and our
Pope.
0 little flower of innocence'O daisy,fair and bright'
Lowly thou art,yet none could be more precious in our
sight.
Until the close of earthly life our model thou shalt be,
Modes t in worth,in beauty meek
,spotless in purity'
Before the sleeping ages wake,Lord
,grant that we may
live
In the innocence of childhood,with the wisdom years
should give,
And be as Thine own little ones,and worthy our home
above'Ne’er shall the tempter conquer ’neath the shield of Thy
perfect love.
Calvary‘s Cross was lifted that sin from us might fly'
Let us live for His greater glory,die for Hi m when we
die.
Unfettered by the chains of sin may we go 'to join the
fold,
Beloved of God,in heaven to share the 'oy earth cannot
hold.
PH ILADELPH IA .
Song of th e L. C. C.
Beloved Philadelphia 'the clear sunlight falls
Serenely to-day on thy historic walls'And gladly thy children Of freedom’s bright days
Unite,Philadelph ia
,in singing thy praise'
’Mid the Stars and the Stripes to the calm breezeunrolled
,
Most proudly the blue and the buff we enfold
With fast-beating hearts that are loyal to thee,
Beloved Phi ladelphia,the home of the free'
Where calmly to-day,under Freedom‘s blue S'y,
Columbia’s fair banners are waving on high,
The hand of Oppression was heavily laid,
When we bowed under laws that a tyrant had made.Then
,thou
,Philadelphia
,with generous hand
,
Didst offer thy bravest and best for our land'N0 man found thee wanting
,and proudly we claim
The City of Brotherly Love as thy name.
To the 'od Of our count iy,Whom all men obey
,
For thee,native city
,most humbly we pray
That peace and aff ection may dwell evermore
In the hearts and the homes of our dear native shore.May the blessing thy bell pealed a blessing remainIn the land for which heroes were -willinglyslain.
All honor,all love
,and all praise unto thee
Beloved Philadelphia,the home of the free'
'A'Y.
Them oonl ight streams into the room ,
And guided by its light I trace
The outline,all untouched by gloom
,
Of a baby’s pure,sweet face.
More dear than life and wealth to me,
More fair than brilliant charms,
The form I hold so tenderly
Within m y loving arms'
What shal l I wish for him to-night'
For worldly wealth or earthly gain'
Ah'would they make his future bright,
Or would they only bring him pain'
I know that thorns must always be
Upon the fairest roses found,
Yet I would try, dear one , for thee
T0 learn Where thornless ones abound.
I know the little hands that rest
So quietly on mine to-night,
Maybe'
with Heaven’s riches blessedTo lead some wayward heart aright.
These trembling little feet may press
Hard roads,which love makes smooth to-day'
These eyes be dim with weariness
When youth ’s clear brightness fades away '
But God’s light shines on fair and clear
Though every earthly joy may flee t
And I may trust HIMwithout fear
To guide the baby’s feet.
THANKSGIV ING .
Across the dear old church the morning sun
Falls soft ly on the heads bowed low in prayer'On each unhappy and each joyous one
,
Glowing with youth , or worn with age and care.
Far down the aisle,where fit ful shadows creep
,
A woman kneels with silver head bent low'TOO worn with sorrow are the eyes to weep
That gaze,while hurried footsteps come and go
,
Upon the shining Cross a bove the Throne
Where 'od is resting , that His children may
Kneel at His altar where He reigns alone,
And praise His bounty on Thanksgiving Day.
Father —the trembling hands are clasped in prayer,A strange light dawns upon the features mild
,
I thank Thee for the years of loving care
Which Thou hast given to an unworthy child'
I thank Thee for the grace which always gave
Me faith and strength to 'say,
‘Thy Will be done
Thy loving grace,which made me calm and brave
When Thou didst take from me each well-loved one.
' I know that safe from every care and pain
They rest in Thee,where trials are unknown
Then,Lord
,accept from my poor heart a prayer
Of thankfulness that through much sorrow I
grownI I
To love Thee more,and say with each succeeding
year,
‘Oh'may Thy Holy Name be always blessed
To lean on Thee, Who dries the mourner
’s tear,
And gives th e weary heart eternal rest''
Lower the silver head was bent,the noon-day sun
Fell softly on the figure worn and ol d'And high in heaven
,ere the simple prayer was done,
woman’s name was marked in shining gold.
I 2
OU R FA ITH AND OUR COUNTRY.
On primal rock sublimely standing,
Undaunted by a trace of fear'Reposing silent
,yet commanding
Faith o f our fathers,holy
,dear'
Anew we pledge our trust to thee,
In union with our love of land
That life-blood shed for liberty
Has made a nation,free and grand .
Amid the battle’s din and roar,
No braver men than ours e’er fought
Deep in their hearts a silent prayer
Of hope,for freedom—dearly bought.
Up to the fair blue sky,its bright stars worn and
d im,
Rose proudly the tattered flag— forever free ,Crimson with blood
,with powder black and grim .
Our Faith'Our Country'proudly we
Unite with love ’neath Freedom ’s sky'No more shall brave men wearily
Tramp to the music of a battle-cry.
Resting,we dwel l in peace
,the hard fight o ’
er,
Yet true to God and country evermore.
I3
OU R DEAREST AND 'EST W E GIV E UNTO THEE .
Yes,unto -Thee we give to-day
Our most-beloved one'But
,dearest Lord
,we cannot say
'Thy Holy Will be done''
Most cherished hopes have fallen low
And crushed and broken lie
Upon the bier,where sad tears flow
And dreams unfinished fade and die.
He giveth His beloved sleep''
A sleep so free from earthly pain,
That even while bitterly we weep
We would not have him wake again.
Slowly the daylight fades away,
And faintly glows the dying sun '
Lo'kneeling at Thy Feet, we pray ,'Thy Holy Will be done''
TO LONGFELLOW ’S PICTURE .
Look gently on us,with the earnest
,speaking eyes
That saw so much of loveliness in all thy kind'
That gazed beyond the clouds for smiling skies,
And in the present left the dead past far behind.
Wild passion did not sway the willing pen
Which never faltered in thy tireless hand,
But toiled with love for suffering fellow-men,
And aimed to make earth ’s brief life fair and grand.
And who shall say the labor .was all vain
In which a long and blameless life was spent'
Ah'not the hearts oppressed with bitter pain,
For whom his wise and cheering words were meant.Sad tears may fall
,some thoughts will bring
Hushed memories from the past’s long-folded leaves,
But hope has balm for sorrow’s ache and sting,
And consolation when the human spirit grieves .
We know that if the long-sealed lips could speak
The l oving heart would prompt him still to say,
If he had helped to guide the frail and weak,
Or taught a faithless,wandering heart to pray
,
His hours of mortal life had been well spent
And his long-cherished visions well fulfilled'That talents by an all-wise Master lent
Had been made use of as the keeper willed.
IS
Though worthier lips than ours have sung his praise,
We lay a loving tribute at his feet
We too must have our share of dreary days,
But soon or late the dark and sunshine meet'And for the courage. which his teachings give
,
And for the skil l and patience of his art,
We love him,and his songs shall live
Re—echoing in the human heart.
16
MUS IC .
'To one who loves'
her art 'etter than h ersel f.'
Our great Creator,mindful of inconstant h earts
Clinging at times to heaven,but most to earth
Designed,of boundless love for men
,the arts
Which lead us to a higher,nobler birth .
We read the words long-quiet hands have penned,
And find beneath the lessons they contain'The writers ’ lives have reached a fruitful end
,
But their abiding faith and hope remain .
We stand before a picture,musing on the dreams
That wrapped the artist’s soul in days forever fledAnd on the glowing canvas wandering m enzc1y s eems
To trace the thoughts he painted as the quiet hourssped .
The sculptor’s hand has formed of senseless clay
Fair visions o f a noble soul ’ s ideal,
And though he sleeps well after life’s brief day
His works have power to make us think and feel .
And if we wish to lay aside th e cares
That ve' our troubled souls from time to time,
To breathe out all our weariness in prayers
Worthy with heaven ’s angelic choirs to chime
Our loving fingers touch the pliant keys,
And play with lingering tenderness the . s trains
That soothe the restless heart to tranquil ease,
And care and tunnoil vanish—happiness remains .
18
All moods are here —the cry of mad despairThat goes out from a wrecked and wasted life'
The bitterness of poverty and care'The recklessness Of passion and of strife.Long
,long ago
,a master fierce with pain
Touched the responsive chords in speechless grief,
And told through them the love that was in vain
The dream of j oy whose reign had been too brief.
And some have sat,with lowly drooping head
,
Caressing the white keys through bitter tears,
Recalling words and memories o f the dead,
‘
Which love intensifies with passing years.
But that same bitterness has passed away,Leaving a quiet sadness in its stead'Hope on
,
' we hear angelic voices say'' ’Tis well with your beloved and happy dead.
Wh o has not known the grief,the hopes and fears
,
The'oy Of happy moments , felt by a l l ,Revealed to the loved instrument in far-Off years
,
Whose melodies still hold the world in thrall'Through mighty strains we dream of wealth and power
,
Of honors bravely won and grandly worn'Through solemn strains
,of life’ s fast-fleet ing hour,
And happy hearts of earthly grandeur shorn'
l 9
And as a sweet,low strain falls softly o ’er us
,
We see no more the paths by mortals trod
For we behold a place more fair before us ,And then
,ah'then
,we dream of heaven
,and
And should it be our happy lot to castOn even the least of His one ray of sun ,
Oh'let us serve Him ere the dayl
h as passed,And the long night-tim e
’s endless rest begun.
IN THE PEACE PAST UNDERSTANDING .
Who that has seen the brightness of her smile,
And listened to her words,so calm and kind
Who that has pondered thoughtfully a while
On the sweet charity of her broad Chris tian mind,
Can turn from the drear void her absence makes
Without one bitter tear—one vain regret'
For memory once-j oyous harp-strings wakes,
And dwells on chords we gladly would forget.
Brave and unselfish to the last,
She smiled in the Old way again,
And one more honored life had passed
From all earth ’s grief,its care and pain.
Aye'heap her bier with flowers,their fragrant bloom
Speaks Of a life that never dies
A life beyond the silent tomb,
Smiling from God’s immortal skies .
A crown to-day rewards a CI‘OSS '
Its heavenly brightness gleams,
And pierces through our bitter loss,
With hope in all its beams.
So beautiful and calm to-day,
Serenely on God’s loving breast,
With all her fierce pain soothed away,
She sleeps in love and rest'
2 1
Oh'winter snows,fall soft and white
Upon that dearly~ ch erish ed mound
Oh 'fair spring blossoms,fragile
,bright
,
Within its loved precincts abound
Oh I fragrant summer roses,blow
And fall o ’er it in showers,
For she who calmly sleeps below
Is one of heaven’s flowers
2 2
SIC TRANS IT GLOR IA MUNDI .
A few swift-passing years,
Well marked by smiles and tearsAnd hiding in their folded leaves
Sweet fancies playful childhood weaves'The golden dreams Of life’s brief May
,
The waking of a later day,
And long-dead though ts that Evel i inn i‘
ings
On Memory-laden wings.
Days when the sunbeams stray
Upon our merryway,And days when even heaven ’ s clear blue
Is shrouded from our mortal V iew'When thorns have sprung in mid-day hours
In paths that Morning decked with flowers,
And gloomy shadows over all
Our hopes in silence fall.
The cherished friends Of Old
Now lying ’neath the mold
The eyes whose loving glances stayed
Our bitter words when passion swayed
The hands whose light touch spurred us fForever missed , forever gone
Ah Heaven must be very fair,
For those we love are there.
23
We dry the bitter tears
That fall o ’er buried years,
And lturn towards the smiling skiesSt ar above our weary ey
Oh Earth,when thy vain idols fall
One hope remains to comfort all 'Of our fond hO-pes the dearest, bestIn Heaven
,there is rest '
24
An airy and coquettish way
Suits this friend well,yet hides from
Beneath a manner light and gay,
A heart and nature warm and true.Don ’ t change
,dear Mary'each caprice
Belongs by every right to you'And if your many moods should cease
I might not love you as I do .
Oh'Mary of the trusting heart,
The world holds you unspoiled and sweet '
You still believe the better part
That may be found in those you meet.
I would not have you lose that trust
Which seems so much a part of you'And when youth fades , as fade it must,Believe
,dear
,still that hearts are true.
Grave,honest brown eyes mark the third
Of these dear friends 'almost a child ,Whom pain and doubt have never stirred ,And on whom life has always smiled.
An honest mind that scorns deceit
A heart to friendship ever true'Ah'sister mine
,it were not meet
That I should ask a change in you.
26
You think I am most strangely blest
In having friends like these to claim'
Well, if the truth must be confessed,Believe me that I think the same.
But sometimes those who deeply feel
TOO seldom can e'press it well,
And all their hearts would fain reveal
Their lips have little power to tell .
2 7
SYMPATHY
Standing upon the height which you have won
Throrigh struggles with your passion and your will ,Gaze downward—with the contest just begun
,
Your brothers slowly mount the rugged hill.
Ah'do not scorn the least, remembering
ThatWisdom’s Hand has fashioned weak and strong,
Or,with a cold contempt and pity
,fling
Your hard-bought conquest at another’s wrong.
They are so few,the years we spend on earth
,
SO full of thought of worldly loss and gain ,We scarce can learn our fellow-creatures’ worth
The nobler nature that the humblest lives contain.
And so we keep the little words Of praise ,Which add new joy to joy
,and lessen care
,
Deep in our h earts,forgetting weary days
Through sympathy grow easier to bear.
In the full knowledge that divinely over all
God watches,and His Will does not decree
That even the weakest step should faint or fall
In the long pathway to a glad eternity,We live and hope 'Oh 'may that knowledge bringPatience and love for every passing day
So helping, trusting, heart to heart shall cl ing
In perfect love,that knows of no decay.
28
HYMN TO ST. CATHAR INE .
Beneath far Eastern skies,
Where vice held regal sway,
First shone the light that lies
Upon the world to-day.
Not as the glaring sun
That dazzles with its beams,
And when the day is done
Fades into crimson streams
But with diviner light,
That luring not with gold
Still Shines through all our night,
And leaves no dark,no cold.
Oh chosen spouse of 'od ,Let thy bright radiance fill
The weary pathways trod
By erring creatures sti ll.
And when our lives shall cease,
Ofearth no more a part,Guide us to rest and peaceWithin His Sacred Heart.
RE'U IESCAT
When tired eyes have closed on earthly scenes,
And weary feet to fairer paths have strayed,
We,but half-knowing what the silence means
And seeing only darkness,are afraid.
Yet,what is death
,that we must shrink in fear'
And what life,that we cling to it so long'
Ah one makes pain and grief forever clear,
And one is but a conflict for the strong.
Yet we h ave loved,dear
‘
LOrd Thou wilt not chide
If we forget that Thou didst bear a cross,
If our weak tears in falling sometimes hide
Th ell igh t which Thou art shedding on our loss.
Oh teach us that the mist has fallen nowFrom the young eyes that fondly gaze on Thee
,
And help us ’neath Thy Will to firmly bow,
Not in dumb sorrow,but in faith
,and willingly
,
36
IN MEMOR IAM .
Who lives for 'od alone shall die in Him ,
And know His rest and peace. Oh weary hearts
Oh'eyes with care and sorrow dim ,
All our unceasing restlessness departs ,When
,at the silent touch of the Unseen ,
We give our mortal lives into His care,Unasking what' eternity may mean
,
In full content to know that 'od is there.
Therefore,no vain tears fall upon our dead
Why should we weep,though every gentle word
Which once was ours to claim is left unsaid '
The voice we loved,on this l ow earth unheard
,
Makes music in a home more fair and 'bright
Grief would be selfish,tears but weak and vain
Remembering our darkness is her light,
And our brief parting her eternal gain.
3I
A P ICTURE .
The clear Easter sunlight is streaming
In gladness and brightness o’er all ,And 1—1 am standing and dreaming
Where most Of its light seems to fall,
Touching up into glory the poets,who
After toil,in a rest that is tranquil and
And,10 I am gaz ing no more
On the pictured res emblance of men
For the davs which they lived in of yore
I have brought back in fancy again
All the glad Easter sunlight has faded away
And I am in far-Ofl'
New England to-day.
In Old Massachusetts,the trees
Are just bursting to bloom,but the birds
Have ceased to pour forth on the breeze
Their rejoicing they list to the words
Of the poet of Nature,who walks with hushed tread
,
Drinking in the deep calm o f the skies overhead.
.With head lowly bowed in deep t l -ought,
I see Concord’s learned sage stand,
And each precious moment is fraught
With dreams that will float o ’er the land
Ah the dreams that he ch erished~—dreams bornamid flowers
We have but to long for— to seek— they are ours.
Whose lessons of wisdom and truth'
Oft guided my faltering pen 'Oh'hard of the love o f my youth
,
I bring you my homage again ,And the old-time sweet patience and courage I see
In the eyes which so gently are gazing on me .
And this is my question to -day,
As each beautiful record I trace,
Oh as the long years pass away ,Will one word of mine merit a place
In'
sOm e world-weary heart,dreaming on th rough
the cold
Of a day th at the sunlight will turn into gold'
34
GREETING TO REV . GERALD P. COGHLAN .
How calm and cold our written words will look
When we have -placed our thoughts beneath their
guise'
LO'as try to frame them ,memory’s book
Discloses all its treasures to our eyes.
What does its record Show' The happy days
SO lightly prized , when al l their golden store
Of Nature’s rarest gifts made bright the ways
To which our lives shall lead us back no more.
And through those memories one name we trace
So often ,that we turn in eager quest
To find what claims for it so large a place,
And why its gleam is brighter than the rest.
Loo'well'no wondrous deeds—a gentle word,
Said lightly,and perhaps with little thought '
Said and forgotten,but the hearts it stirred
Cherished the memory Of the good it wrought.
To-day,when many loyal hearts have come
,
In glowing praise their mighty love to speak,
Why should our erstwhile ready lips be dumb,
Though faint our speech,and poor our words
weak'
And yet,what need has that calm life of praise
,
On which 'od smiling stretches out His Hand ,And gives His benediction to the ways
Whose heights of love we cannot understand'
3S
Far,far from things of earth we lift our eyes
,
And dimly see,so fast the shadows fall
,
The goal we seek,whose shining gateway lies
Adown the path which has an end for all .
Beyond the mist,so bright the radiant gleam
That trials are scarce worthy of record
And sorrow grows an unremembered dream
Before the message,'God is thy reward''
Father'our voices fail'the past has fled,
We cannot keep its pleasures at our will,
But,though our lOving words are coldly said ,
We claim to be your faithful children still'And as such pray that all the kindlinessYou give to other lives unceasingly
,
May be returned with strengthened power to bless
That as your worth so may your merit be'
THE PARTING OF THE W AYS .
I feared to raise my eyes,lest I Should see
That not far off our paths would separate'I was content— ah'too content— to wait
,
And let the happy days pass quietly,
As they had done so long' I might have known
That He,whose Love goes on eternally
,
Would claim that young life in its purity
Ere adverse winds across its course had blown,
And drifted it through all the bitter pain ,The weariness
,the misty doubts and fears
Which are the world ’ s'where, after many years ,We learn to count the cost of what is vain
,
And scornful that we saw it not before,
And that earth ’s faded beauty looked so fair,
We turn at last to God,giving Him little more
Than broken hearts for all His love and care.
My dearest 'I am standing here alone,
Gazing through tears far down the quiet way
Which is your wise choice now,and oh'to-day
I have not strength to follow out my own,
Which looks so dark,so dark
,and strange
,and cold
Without the smile which,at my slightest word
,
Springing to life,in low-breathed message told
Of thoughts with which the childish heart wasstirred '
37
Childish in one thing only,that no trace
Was on it of the world of doubt and sin,
And all the child’s sweet innocence within
Reflected on the pure and noble face,
And spoke from out the deep,dark eyes
,whose gaze '
Seemed fitted more for things o f heavenly birth
Than that it should grow troubled in the ways,
The sad and time-worn,toil-worn ways of earth'
Hers was a nature few could understand'One which in contemplation Of her Lord
Forbore the careless smile,the bitter word
,
And seeing all souls noble made demand
For something greater,worth i er Of us all
Than we had thought to give. She had a gentle
way
Of smiling into silence comment small,
And making natures nobler for her sway.
I miss the steady hand which always led,
In spite of years,where it was best to go
,
And Oh'far more than all,the bright sm ile ’ s glow
Which o ’er my life its richest fullness Shed.
And at the cross-roads,where her loving eyes
Look last on me,then bravely looked before
,
I stand forlornly as the daylight dies,
Longing for that which shall be mine no more.
LIGHT.
A little child,who spoke of Things Divine
As though she moved amidst them every day,
Laid her white hand with gentle touch on mine,
Eager to charm my quiet mood away.
I sat with half-closed eyes,and only felt
AS in a dream the baby presence near'My thoughts
,which through the long
,sad
dwelt
On all that made the vanished past so dear,
Had with the falling darkness turned to Him
Whose Love I had not claimed when it was day'
Now,with a heavy heart
,and eyes grown dim
,
I saw my brightest visions die away.
Ungrateful'Oh'ungr ateful'all my years
Have felt in every joy His love for me,
And only when my smiles have changed to tears,
I thank Him for His mercy willingly.
What are you thinking of The baby head
Was drooping,and the voice was very low'
The child’s sad wonder roused me,and I said
,
'Of what Heaven is,my darling
,do you know''
Was it a child Of earth' Ah'could it be'
Who,with a far-Off smile
,and eyes grown bright
,
Stood there beside me,and so reverently
Said,
'Yes,I do know'Heaven is l zlgfit .
’
39
ODE
For the Silver Ju'ilee of the Cathedral T.A.'. Society.
The scorn Of those
Whose only love is self—who cannot see
The kindred spirit Of humanity,
Was what you chose.
He was your model wh ose'
Divine Hand’s touch
Had blessed the poor'
and outcast willingly
LO 'hear His voice through ages ,' Inasmuch
As to the least,ye do it unto Me''
Sorrow and sin had grown
So common that the great world passed them by,Hearing unmoved
,or with regretful sigh
,
The orphan’s bitter moan,
Which told of aching hearts , of tears that fell
From childish eyes,where Fancy’s magic spell
Had never lighted'from which hate and gloom
Looked on the joys that happy children knowAnd learned too soon to V iew the awful doom
Which filled their lives with poverty and woe.
God saw and planned
He looked into the faithful hearts where dwelt
The great and boundless , charity which felt
His mercy would demand ,One day
, .Of them the efforts they had m ade
T.O rend the fair disguise which Sin had worn'Who knew He blessed the hand stretched out in aid,The lips that smiled when others curled in scorn.
40
MY DARTHEA .
There is no wondrous beauty in thy face,
Whose dear charm l ies not in well-rounded grace,
In faultless curve,or perfect symmetry
Thy sweetness from the world ’s cold glance is hid
Yet in all graciousness it comes unbidFor love or sympathy.
Grief which has hardened som e,em bittered more ,
Has left thy nature gentler than before
Dost ' thou know how the smile which hides thy pain
Has shamed to rest much useless murmuring,
For what the years again may never bring
So weak,so vain '
They call thee proud and cold who do not know
How wonderful, how tender is the glow
Which lights those dear,dear eyes
,whene’er they rest
In steadfast gaze on what,of all we view
Is grandest,noblest
,worthiest of you
The beautiful,the best'
I am content to hear thy slightest word
To see thee smile,to feel thy touch has stirred
Thoughts into life none other can impart'My loye is far too deep to give thee praise,But
,Darth ea
,for all thy gentle ways ,
Take thou my heart .
42
THE H IGHEST ART
Far on the distant hill I saw the light,
And struggled on,though many fell asleep'
It was a long and lonely watch to keep,
So bleak the way, so coldly still the night'
Ah'me,the load-star faded from my sight
,
And I too rested,but it was to weep '
'Alas'' I said,
' the ascent is so steep,
I will return,and none shall mark my flight '
I saw deep down into a great man’s heart,
And mourned the wounds a slighting world
made'He smiled in answering
,Forbear thy ruth
,
And journey on'thy sorrow shall depart,Thy soul find peace
,and be no more afraid '
Thus love rewards the search for endless Truth .
TO ALICE .
The world sees many faults in those
Whose pleasure chiefly lies in booksBut
,child
,their lover early grows
To smile at its averted looks .How worthless seem the gilded ways
Through which men wander blindly on,
TO one who,all unmindful
,strays
With those whose light still shines upon
The passing ages Willingly
Forego the idle waste of hours
Which some call life'this companyRewards disciples well
,and dowers
With richest life those brave to scale
The thorn-set mountain. Childish eyes,
Look calmly up' NO glittering veil
Of holl ow pretense can disguise
The 'oywhich you wil l find at last.
So,bravely take the path well-trod
,
And, with weak terrors fought, temptations
passed,
Your soul shall grow more pleasing unto'od.
ALONE .
A quiet spot,where few would find their way'
May sunlight on an Old and broken stone,
A grave by sweet wild-flowers overgrown,
Whose fragrance breathes of life , and not decay'And
,pitiful it seems
,a rose
,full-blown
,
Half-hides beneath its leaves one word,
'Alone.
Has fancy changed the cloudless sky to gray,
Or do we see the sun through tears to-day'
Oh,Silent heart'I wonder if you know
What hands caress the flowers above your head,
By whom this long-neglected path is trod'
I wonder was it all so long agoThat you forget the lonely life you
'
l ed,
Enraptured in the. presence of your 'od'
45
LAST DAYS .
A new hope dawns upon the Summer now,
And sad delight the heart of Nature stirs'The sweetest of the months
,with calm
,fair brow
,
Is crowning brows as fair and calm ' as hers.
Oh ,child ren
,watching from a magic land
,
Whose brightness lends the world a tender glow,
Fame,wealth
,and happiness at your command
,
W'
ould that the years to come might leave you so'
Yes,linger now'these days bring to a close
The glory of your childhood,
fleeting fast'Awhile in paths of peace the calm brook flows
But reaches wind and storm at last,at last'
A h,will life seem too hard when sorrow’s crown
Lies heavy on the brows that flowers adorn'
IV i l l you smile on ,or lay the burden down
A s one too heavy to be meekly borne'
How your last school-days vividly recall
A happy child,whose heart was just as light
Who felt that faith and love were dear to all,
Whose tears blot out the shattered dream to-night.
Your passing footsteps slowly die away,
And on the summer wind there comes to me
The faint'sweet music of a far-o ff day,V ibrating on the chords of Memory.
46